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Brad, back in his own timeline, looks out on a wasted world. He’s been chosen for an all-or-nothing mission. His supervising officer gives him a Hail Mary for their Hail Mary plan: It’s the device he put into the safe deposit box. It’s an emotional goodbye. They hug it out. The “big man himself” — old Kellog — is going to send him off.

Back at the cabin, Kiera and Brad enjoy a chat together on the couch. She says this is where the relationship all goes to hell: A couple weeks in, you start comparing notes and find out you’re from incompatible timelines. “I worked for a half-mad warlord,” he says. “I worked for Big Brother,” she says. She confesses that her son feels close, but also feels like a dream she had. He’s the only one who will understand. They kiss.

Alec and Emily plot their travels. “What’s that saying?” he asks. “‘Make plans, Destiny laughs’?” Before she can answer, bullets explode through the walls. “I think God heard you, and he’s pissed,” she says. Current-timeline Alec is responsible, future Alec knows. You know what we have to do, she says.

Current Alec practices a Steve Jobs–like speech about Halo … aaaannnndddd muffs it. Kellog crawls out of the darkness, offering a slow clap and telling Alec that Piron stock dropped again — he’s got to get it together. The people in this audience are here to see him — they’re friends! Alec tells Kellog that it’d be nice if he said something that made him feel better. Lawyer Jacqueline arrives and confirms: Message sent. No casualties that she knows of.

Carlos has taken the corner office! Kellog comes in wanting to talk about “Mr. Sadler.” Kellog: He wants more police at his keynote speech. Carlos: This isn’t a rent-a-cop vending machine. Kellog: Oh, yes. Yes, it is. Carlos resents Kellog’s insinuation. Kellog: “Think of it as a personal favor.” (But remember that Carlos is still smarting from current Alec’s Dr. Frankenstein antics with dead Kiera’s CMR and subsequent efforts to cover up his misdeeds. Bad, Alec! Bad!)

Time for the exposition summit! Future Alec holds court in his old lab. (Hey, Jason! What up? How’s the Halo leash treating ya? It just occurred to me that Jason has been juggling three dads, who are all the same person: old Alec from his timeline and the two young Alecs in this timeline. No wonder he’s loopy.) Alec says that when he came to this timeline, he created Brad’s future, but current Alec could prevent it. Jason reveals that he and current-timeline Alec Frankensteined a time-travel device — hey, the Mary Shelley reference was mine. And so, they’re going to need some help. “That’s where you come in,” she says, turning to Liber8’s Travis. Nice.

Travis and Kiera show up at Liber8’s restaurant — now serving C-4 by the slice! Garza: This had better be good. She takes them to Lucas: “Whatever this is, I am in!”

They all go back to the lab. Lucas has a nerdgasm when he sees all of the equipment in Alec’s lab. “Don’t touch anything,” warns Alec. “Who says I have to touch it?” scoffs Lucas. Garza: Now what? Kiera speechifies about how she’s been on the wrong team and is awake now. That they have to work together to ensure that the legacy they leave is not the future they’ve come from. “That’s worth sacrificing for,” she says.

Diana Bolton interviews current-timeline Alec on Firing Point. Who are you and where’d you come from, boy wonder? Then she compares him to Steve Jobs — and I should take up tarot card reading for TV writers for inadvertently guessing future dialogue references with such accuracy. Alec says he’s just a guy who dreams for a living, officially making this the most cringe-worthy fictional television interview ever.

Back at the lab, the nerds do nerd stuff and the jocks play with guns. Brad: “Well, what do you think?” Kiera: “I find this deeply, deeply unsettling to watch.” How can they know if they’ll succeed? Brad says the beacon can tell them. It marks critical nexus points of change. If he activates the thing and nothing happens, they know they’ll have succeeded. If so, we commit to this time, place and new history, Brad implores. Kiera notes that tomorrow Alec launches Halo. They all vow to pull their weight.

Carlos shows up at keynote prep with some men in tow. He’s down for this arrangement if it serves the public trust and safety. Kellogg assures him it does and promises to keep supporting the police if they have an agreement. It appears they do.

Garza sneaks into the keynote with some meatballs while disguised as a male food-service worker — her painted-on beard surely didn’t fool anyone, did it? She contacts Travis and informs him that she’s in, then assembles her big-ass gun.

Piron’s dog-and-pony show kicks off with a commercial. Emily is in the audience. Alec is introduced and receives a warm welcome. Alec gives his earnest speech while a Halo unit spins on the screen behind him. Lucas hijacks the event’s A/V. Travis comes on the screen: “Halo is a lie.” It’s a shackle that’ll control your life, yada, yada, yada. Current Alec’s team regains control of the screen and spinning Halo returns. Alec resumes. Garza shoots. She misses — she never misses, so it must’ve been on purpose. Alec’s team rushes him offstage. The crowd erupts into chaos. Alec and his guards escape to an elevator, but as soon as they press the button, gas starts pouring in through the vents.

Emily gets arrested for the attempted murder of Alec, while Garza gets away.

Carlos finds Alec, Jacqueline and the boys unconscious. He wants to get Alec to an EMT to get checked out, but Alec just wants to get out of there. Carlos rushes him to a waiting SUV. Alec away, Carlos peers into the empty elevator. The camera pans up through the roof of the elevator, revealing Kiera kneeling over unconscious current-timeline, Piron-honcho Alec. They’ve swapped Alecs!

When Alec wakes, he tells Kiera she’s making a mistake. “Travis was right” about Halo, she replies. “Do you even hear yourself?” Alec asks. A knock on the elevator ceiling panel reveals Carlos! “You?” Alec says stunned. “Me,” Carlos replies.

At Piron, future Alec convinces Jacqueline to take a hike, then checks in with Lucas, who takes charge of the building’s systems through a bug Alec plants. Alec connects with Kiera: He can’t find the time-travel device. Current Alec looks smug, so Kiera tells future Alec to destroy the lab if he can’t find the device.

Current Alec tells Kiera she’ll never get back to her timeline. She says she’s counting on it and jets. Then current Alec tells Carlos that he’ll have his job. Carlos: “Tell you what, kid: You can have it.”

Future Alec goes all Clockwork Orange on the lab, busting the place up.

Current Alec: “This is like kidnapping.” Carlos: “No, this is exactly kidnapping.” But the kidnapping plot is foiled because Alec has a child-finder chip implanted, and Jacqueline must’ve smelled something fishy, because she sends in the cavalry.

So the score is: Emily captured, current Alec retrieved by his people and future Alec futzing around Piron, looking for the device, and probably about to get his head kicked in by evil Alec’s security detail that is now en route.

Instead, only evil Alec shows up — just in time for future Alec to have found the device. Future Alec pushes himself out of the way and runs out past Jacqueline. Then evil Alec runs out and tells her to put the place on lockdown. Not sure why she looks stunned now, since she’s the one who suspected something in the first place, but whatevs.

Future Alec calls Lucas: “I need an exit!” Lucas guides Alec to his father’s office. The rescue team is on its way! Cut to slo-mo of ass-kicker trio Travis, Garza and Kiera. Evil Alec turns up in the office promising to kill Emily over and over again to keep her and future Alec separated. Future Alec: “This timeline isn’t big enough for the both of us.” Yes, he did! Current Alec: “I couldn’t agree more.” The deadly dance of current and future Alecs begins, and they even smash through a glass wall to the balcony.

In front of the building, the trio busts up the Piron patrol to gain entry. The cops won’t be coming, BTW.

I don’t know which Alec is which. They continue fighting on the roof.

Garza and Kiera fight their way through the building while Travis stays in the lobby to keep anyone at bay.

Current Alec — you can tell by the evil smirk and the homicidal behavior — chokes future Alec, who eventually grabs a piece of the device and drives it into current Alec’s neck. Blood spurting and a look of surprise on dying Alec’s face. Kiera arrives with gun drawn. Dying Alec: “Your future dies with me.” And then he keels over.

Future Alec assures Kiera it’s him by telling her that even in the cage, he knew she’d come back for him. She, in tears: “I chose you because I believe in a better future than mine — one that I know you will build.” They embrace with the city and open sky as their backdrop.

Travis carries out the body of dead Alec. Kiera takes dead Alec’s chip and puts it in future Alec, who’s decided to stay behind and take care of Piron. The van takes off with Kiera and the gang; then Jacqueline comes out with guards, and Alec tells her there’s work to be done.

Kiera meets with Carlos, who wants the lowdown, but she thinks it best if he doesn’t know the full extent of their criminal activity. Carlos will try to get Emily released.

Liber8 is taking over the Freelancers’ den.

Kiera finds Brad. Alec is dead, she tells him. “Your future can’t happen — order has been restored,” she says. He holds up the beacon: “If nobody hears it, nothing happens.” If someone does? “Then we’ve failed, and I think we both want to know that,” he says. He plants the beacon, and it sends off a signal. Nothing. They congratulate each other.

“Two Alecs enter, one Alec leaves,” Kellog says to future Alec. Alec calls security to remove him, but Kellog has been plotting to have Alec removed and himself installed as head of the company. Security leads Alec out.

Back with Brad and Kiera, the lights go out throughout the city. A ball of space-time disturbance explodes in front of them and figures in spacesuit-like gear — Robots? Aliens? Future people? — stand with weapons ready.

Somewhere … Curtis looks at the 1,000-year rasta-traveler, who says, “It has begun.”

Expression Of JoyThe Brady Bunch: Groovy! The Bradys: Ritual hugging Married…With Children: ”Oh, great.” Thirtysomething: ”Of course I’m happy for you. Really. But what about me? Why does it always have to be about you? The Flintstones: ”Yabba-dabba doo

Expression Of Rage

The Brady Bunch: ”Hmmm…” The Bradys: ”If you back away from something you really want, then you’re a quitter!” (the angriest any Brady has ever been) Married…With Children: ”Aaagh, God, take me from this miserable life!” Thirtysomething: ”I’m not angry, OK?” The Flintstones: ”Willllmaaaa!”

Typical ProblemThe Brady Bunch: Marcia and her rival both want to be the prom queen. The Bradys: Bobby gets paralyzed. Married…With Children: Al doesn’t buy his family Christmas presents. Thirtysomething: Nancy gets cancer. The Flintstones: Fred and Barney are staying out too late.

Typical SolutionThe Brady Bunch: The prom committee decides to have two queens. The Bradys: Bobby gets married. Married…With Children: They hate him. Thirtysomething: If only we knew… The Flintstones: Wilma and Betty decide to follow them.

Attitude Toward SexThe Brady Bunch: Never heard of it The Bradys: Omigod — even Cindy does it! Married…With Children: Peg: Yes. Al: No. Thirtysomething: They didn’t get all those kids by accident. The Flintstones: Prehistoric

How Spouses FightThe Brady Bunch: They don’t. The Bradys: Infrequently, but it happens Married…With Children: Tooth and nail Thirtysomething: They stop talking The Flintstones: Fred and Barney go bowling while Wilma and Betty max out their charge cards.

How Kids Get Into TroubleThe Brady Bunch: Greg takes a puff of a cigarette. The Bradys: Carol’s grandson steals her business cards and sticks them in the spokes of Bobby’s wheelchair. Married…With Children: By committing felonies Thirtysomething: Ethan plays with a forbidden toy rocket. The Flintstones: They don’t.

How They’re Punished

The Brady Bunch: ”It’s not what you did, honey — it’s that you couldn’t come to us.” The Bradys ”Next time, ask.” Married…With Children: By the authorities Thirtysomething: It blows up in his face. The Flintstones: They’re not.

What Family Does For FunThe Brady Bunch: Takes special three-part vacations to Hawaii and the Grand Canyon The Bradys: Has flashbacks Married…With Children: Exchanges insults Thirtysomething: Talks The Flintstones: Attends showings of The Monster at the Bedrock Drive-In

Unsolved MysteriesThe Brady Bunch: How exactly did Carol’s first husband and Mike’s first wife die? The Bradys: What’s with Marcia’s new face and Bobby’s blonde hair Married…With Children: What kind of hair spray does Peg use? Thirtysomething: Why did Nancy take Elliot back? What do Gary and Susanna see in each other? The Flintstones: How does Barney’s shirt stay on if he has no shoulders? Where do Fred and Wilma plug in their TV?

Worst BehaviorThe Brady Bunch: The Brady children once made Alice feel under-appreciated.

Best Reason To WatchThe Brady Bunch: This is what life should be. The Bradys: They’re all grown-ups now! Married…With Children: Terry Rakolta hates it. Thirtysomething (Tie) This is your life. This isn’t your life. The Flintstones: This is what life might have been.

Best Reason Not To WatchThe Brady Bunch: Blurred vision from rerun overdoses. The Bradys: You’re all grown-ups now. Married…With Children: She has a point. Thirtysomething: After a while, you think it’s real. The Flintstones: The Simpsons